The College of Health Sciences (CHS) at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has established an Endowment Fund with a goal of raising US$10 million dollars within five years.
The Fund aims to enhance the training of high-quality health professionals, conduct health research – particularly focusing on local diseases, provide scholarships for graduate and undergraduate training, and procure necessary equipment.
Additionally, it will prioritize creating opportunities to retain health science graduates to address some of the developmental challenges faced by the country’s health sector.
Professor Daniel Ansong, Chairman of the Endowment Fund Board, spoke on behalf of Prof. Christian Agyare, the Provost of the College, during a media engagement.
He mentioned that the number of applicants has been increasing annually, with many qualified individuals applying for degrees but only a small portion being admitted. Some of the admitted students often choose other schools or programs due to various reasons.
The Dean highlighted the lack of necessary infrastructure as a major obstacle in training more health professionals.
“As a nation with a very high health worker-to-patient ratio, one will have thought that more health personnel would be trained to augment the shortfalls that have existed over the years,” he explained.
He emphasised the importance of expanding facilities to accommodate a larger number of students, as seen with the completion of the Boadi Medical village, which resulted in a significant increase in admissions.
The Dean also expressed concerns about the increasing reliance on fee-paying students over regular students, leaving many qualified individuals unable to afford healthcare education.
He stressed the importance of addressing this issue to ensure that healthcare professionals are trained based on qualifications rather than financial status.
“We need to come out of this, that is why we are calling on all stakeholders, corporate Ghana, alumni, and parents to support this Endowment Fund established by the college,” he rallied.
The CHS consists of seven schools or faculties, including the KNUST School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, and School of Dentistry.
Additionally, there are research centers such as the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research into Tropical Medicine and the German-West African Centre for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention.
Maxwell Opoku Agyemang, Co-Chair of the Advisory Board, emphasised accountability and transparency in managing the Fund for the College’s development.
He called on stakeholders, corporate Ghana, alumni, and parents to support the Endowment Fund to continue training more health professionals.
MA